Lunchline: The Nats are getting it done

The Pentagon.
(Charles Dharapak - AP)
My sympathies to you if you were caught up in the debacle of the Pentagon's security situation this morning. Although it's far from ironic, the number of hassles that people who work at or near the Pentagon have to deal with on a regular basis must be extremely aggravating. I feel for you.

It must be nice to be a lawmaker in Virginia. Besides being given the opportunity to represent your neighbors in the state assembly, every once in a while you get thrown a perk. This week, five legislators arrived in France on a $10K-a-head, all-expenses-paid trip by Virginia Uranium to study the viability of uranium mining, as the state considers lifting a ban on the practice. The trip includes three full days off to do absolutely nothing except gallivant around Paris. The Post's Anita Kumar reports on why some elected officials in the commonwealth thought taking the trip reeked of impropriety.

Beth Pruitt, left, and Sophia Chang worked in the basement of the the James Holliday House in Annapolis.
(Mark Gail - THE WASHINGTON POST)
Like a lot of kids in the '80s, part of me wanted to grow up to be an archaeologist. After years of ingesting Indiana Jones movies, it seemed like a fun and smart way to get involved with history, science and eternal life on the side. More seriously, at the University of Maryland, a group of students is taking a love of digging for artifacts into the field in Annapolis. They are working at the James Holliday House, near the state Capitol to uncover what life was like for a middle-class African American family dating back to the Civil War. The Post's Patricia Sullivan reports on the project.

D.C. has been accused of being too progressive on more occasions than one, but sometimes intolerance shows up in a strong way. During Pride weekend, the magazine Metro Weekly reported on a gay couple that was subjected to a homophobic slur by a cashier at the Safeway on Fourth Street SW. The two men filed a complaint with the D.C. Office of Human Rights, understandably so. In addition, the woman who delivered the slur apologized on video. The Post's Victor Zapana reports the latest on that woman's employment status.

For some people, breaking away from certain technologies is a difficult process. The fall of DVDs has been a nightmare for folks who just can't deal with the fact that actual physical items for enjoying media products will likely be a thing of the past in five years. It's nearly impossible to find a Blockbuster these days, and Redbox is still just another vending machine at the grocery store for these types. The Post's Cecilia Kang chronicles the struggles of those slow to adopt streaming.

Washington Nationals' Danny Espinosa, top right, leaps into a pile of teammates.
(Ann Heisenfelt - AP)
I'll say it: The Nationals are on fire. They've won six in a row, hotshot Ryan Zimmerman is back after nearly two months off with an injury, Mike Morse is crushing the baseball like it's his job and Danny Espinosa is officially my favorite player on the team. This guy was a semi-outside chance to be a contributor in spring training and now is a full-fledged beast on a team that's no longer in last place in its division. Last night, Espinosa hit a three-run shot to complete a sweep of the Cardinals. The Post's Adam Kilgore reports on the win.

Extra Bites

• I've long contended that Alec Baldwin is the best host in the history of Saturday Night Live, and his sketch "Schweddy Balls," written by Tina Fey by the way, is one of the funniest in the history of the show. Now, Ben & Jerry's is thinking of making an ice cream flavor out of it. Good times.

• A doll wearing an American Girl Washington, D.C. shirt is seen at the American Girl store at Tysons Corner Center in McLean.
(Matt McClain - FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)
If you have any relatives with girls coming to town, listen up. An American Girl store is opening up in Tysons Corner, but the company insists on branding it as being in Washington, D.C. You have been warned.

• Father's Day is coming up, and the question is: Who’s Your Hollywood or TV Dad?

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.